Similar Differences
by Mashiara91
Summary: Fai does something Kurogane thinks is stupid...not a surprise there! Small fic, first published as a Kuroxfai POP challenge over on LJ with the prompt "Cultural Differences." The custom I've used is originally Turkish...
1. Chapter 1

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"What the hell do you think you're doing, idiot?

"Nothing," said the blond, once again dipping his fingers into the pail of water. Kurogane's jaw clenched further as cold droplets splashed across his face.

"Mage!" he seethed, trying not to lose his head completely with the princess still sleeping soundly on the couch. "If you don't explain what this is, I swear—"

"Relax, Kuro-pi, it's for good luck, to ward off evil spirits." Another splash this time, thicker, and it left a trail down the warrior's cheek, and his eye began to twitch dangerously.

"Teehee, Kuro-daddy looks like he's been crying!" Kurogane wheeled around sharply, like he needed the manju's chirping on top of this.

"Blame this stupid idiot and his crazy customs!"

"Fai-mommy made you cry?" inquired the creature in mock-innocence. Mokona barely had time to manage a smile before shrieking and running away from a very angry ninja.

The two ran out of the house. Kurogane, still angry, found no reason return to the house after he'd failed to find the crazy manju. Instead, he followed the kid into town to deal with whatever was making all the trouble in this new world. Kurogane quickened his step without looking back, he was already late.

Fai emerged from the house, a wry smile on his face, pail still clutched to his chest. A loud splash sounded in the night as he emptied the water on the pavement, as was custom. In fact, no face-splashing was really necessary, but Fai just couldn't resist the temptation. Lost in his thoughts, it took a while for Fai to notice the white ears sticking out of a nearby bush.

"Don't worry Mokona, he's gone." Mokona bounced happily out of the bush and unto Fai's shoulder, but soon hesitated again.

"What's wrong, Fai?"

The wizard didn't reply. He looked ahead in the direction Kurogane had gone. "They'll need all the luck they can get," he whispered, knowing the full extent of the trails that awaited them, and knowing also that his luck wasn't much to go by.

oo

the end!

o

A/N: This was originally written for the Kuroxfai-POP challenge: Cultural differences. I wrote another one for it too...I'll later. And as usual: REVIEW!


	2. Chapter 2

"Idiot, where the hell did you hide my socks?"

Kurogane was stomping through the house looking around for the idiot who was always misplacing his stuff in the name of 'cleaning' (Like Kurogane was messy or something)! But when he found him hunched over on the porch swing, something in the man's eyes made Kurogane's anger disappear suddenly.

"What's wrong?" the ninja asked quietly.

"Nothing."

"What's wrong?" the ninja insisted, but he wouldn't for long.

"Kuro-sama, it's really is nothing. I'm just looking at that cat over there," the blond gestured to a spot near the garden fence and fair enough there was a cat lounging there, intent on licking every inch of itself clean.

"And what's wrong with it?"

"Nothing," the blond repeated.

The warrior wouldn't ask again. He stomped back into the house and Fai could hear a faint muttering, something about "cat idiot." He wasn't sure if it was the cat or himself that was being implicated.

The warrior fussed around the house for a few more minutes, though without the manju and the kids there really wasn't much to fuss about. Grumpily, he returned to the porch and found the mage exactly where he'd left him. Knowing better by now than to expect an answer, Kurogane sat himself down on the other side of the swing and waited.

"Have you ever noticed Kuro-tan how there's a spot just behind a cat's ear that she can't reach with her tongue. She just licks her paws and then wipes the area; it's almost like using a comb." If it wasn't for the seriousness the mage's tone, Kurogane would've thought this was just another bit of random Fai nonsense. So the warrior found himself looking out at the cat as well, and sure enough it kept licking at its paws, but-

"It's just wiping its face."

"I know, Kuro-sama," said the blond, for once looking away from the cat to smile at Kurogane. "If it wipes behind its ears then your wish will come true."

Only Fai would be dumb enough to wait for signs from a cat!

But Kurogane didn't say anything and they spent the rest of the evening staring at a lazy cat. It's not like he had anything better to do, the ninja reasoned. The kids came home and the cat left, and it never once wiped behind its ears. Again, Kurogane didn't say anything.

Later that night, the adults were left to clean up after diner, Fai having insisted that the kids needed their rest after a long day. It wouldn't do to exhaust the princess, he told a stubborn Syaoran who quickly abandoned the dishes to help Sakura to her room. For a man who was always complaining about not getting any quite in the damn house, Kurogane found silences like these even more annoying.

Fai, who was too lost in thought to come up with something useless to chatter about, nearly jumped when he turned to find the other man staring intently down at him. His heart beat furiously as they were way too close for comfort; they're chests mere inches apart. Kurogane did not step back. Normally this would have been a perfect opportunity for a Fai-teasing-fest, but for the moment it seemed that a cat had caught his tongue.

"Stay still," commanded the taller man as his warm fingers brushed the edge of Fai's quickly reddening cheek. But Fai's tension was soon replaced with confusion as Kurogane pinched the center of his cheek and then held up his hand to the light, his index finger and thumb still pinched together.

"Make a wish," Kurogane demanded in his usual gruff tone.

"What?"

"Make a wish, idiot! You had a wish, didn't you?" Fai blinked up at the other man and then smiled. He did not close his eyes to make his wish.

"Done," he nodded, his smile growing wider.

"Up or down?" asked Kurogane and was thankful he didn't have to repeat himself this time despite the mage's evident confusion.

"Up."

The warrior pulled his fingers apart, and Fai wasn't really sure what he was supposed to be looking at. But then Kurogane put his index finger right in front of Fai's face, and the wizard was sure he was supposed to be looking at something on it. He squinted his eyes, and sure enough, right at the center of the fingertip there was a blond eyelash. His blond eyelash.

"Oh…up," he managed weakly.

"See? Now you can stop pouting."

As Kurogane stomped out of the kitchen, Fai had an insane desire to run after him, if only to retrieve that eyelash and keep it. It was silly, but he needed to preserve that wish.

Unknown to him, Kurogane did just that.


End file.
